I Am David

A 12-year-old boy's journey across much of continental Europe after fleeing a prison camp in communist Bulgaria is the subject of Paul Feig's adaptation of Anne Holm's well-regarded novel North to Freedom. David (Ben Tibber, looking a bit well-fed for the part of a longtime detainee) is an understandably glum, uncommunicative youngster whose escape is arranged by a shadowy figure (one possible candidate is a saintly, bespectacled prisoner, played by Jim Caviezel, who has protected David against the stern commandant, even sacrificing himself to save the boy). David's flight is, of course, an eventful one: he stows away on a ship headed for Italy, travels north on the peninsula and spends some time with an aristocratic family whose daughter's life he saves in a fire, and finally meets a grandmotherly painter (Joan Plowright) who not only helps him cross the Swiss border without a passport, but also eventually discovers the secret of the boy's identity--setting up a joyous finale. I Am David is certainly well intentioned, but it's also slow and meandering, suffering from an episodic structure and slack tempo. While the ultimate message of the picture--ordinary people are far more often nice than nasty--may appeal to the targeted family audience, the lack of narrative energy will likely sap most viewers' interest. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Paul Feig, 10 deleted scenes (20 min.), a “Discovering David” featurette (18 min.), still galleries, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so film] (F. Swietek)